Automatic small-arms.



PATENTED SEPT. 19, 1905. L. HBLLFRITZSGH. AUTOMATIG SMALL ARM. rrmonmx nmsn HAY as, 1902.

3 MEETS-SHEET 1 PATENTBD SEPT. 19, 1 05.

L. HELLFRITZSGH. AUTOMATIC SMALL AR APPLICATION FILED MAY 23 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

45 distance forward. Fig. 4- represents the UNITED sparse;

PATENT @FFTQE.

LOUIS HELLFRITZSCH, or BERLIN, GERMANY.

' AUTOMATIC SMALL-ARMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.

Application filed May 23, 1902. Serial No. 108,700.

To'kdll whom it may concern.-

" BeIit known that I, LomsI-IELLrRrrzsoH, engineer, a subject of the German Emperor, residin'g'at Tempelhofer Ufer No. 10, Berlin,

. in the Empire of Germany, have invented certrain-new and useful Automatic Small-Arms, 6f which the followingis a specification, reference being had to; the drawings hereunto annexed and to the letters marked thereon.

This invention relates to an automatic recoil opera'ted breech-loading firearm having a sliding barrel and is an improvement upon the-type of arm covered'by my United States PateiitNo. 675,999.

The improvement herein described and presents this feature: thatd uring" the rea'rward"' motion of the barrel only the.

breech bolt.-which is provided with "straight locking ni'pples', performs a partial revolutionwithinthebarrel enlargement, thus disfengaging' the' nipples, while the independent lease-bf the-nipples from the grooves of the barrel-enlargement, whereby the breech-closur'e'is unlocked. There is further provided in improved'guna special coupling ar- -frangenient' to provide for single loading,

wherebyas the breech-bolt approaches the end of the path it isdesigned to traverse the barrel'is' automatically engaged, so r that. a means is thus afforded for securing it in its .rearmost position,- the object being that the breech-bolt'as it. springs forward may find the barrel in'the proper position for locking. My improved firearm is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which.

Figure liis a side view, partly in section, showing the arm with the .breech locked.

Fig. 2"sh'ows'the positionof the breech after the'barrel has m'ovedjto its rearmost position and when the breech-bolthas already com- 'menced its independent return movement.

Fig. 3 shows the position of the parts with the breech-bolt in the rear-most position, the

barrel having-in the meantime moved a short frame and coupling-rod seen from the oppositesldeandpartlyin section. Fig. 5Qis a cross-section on line A B,- Fig. 2.. Fig. .6 is

a cross-sectionon line (3 D, Fig. 4; and Fig. 7 is an elevation of -the rail or rod which serves-to guide the breech-bolt seen from the opposite-side to that shownin Fig. 4. Referrmg to the drawings and the mode 0 operationmore in detail, the barrel-case b,-

\ which surrounds or envelope the barrel 0 and receives the pressure-spring, (not shown,) is at its enlarged rearward part screwed onto the. stationary frame a. This barrel-case b at the same time serves to guide the barrel 0, the rear end of which terminates in the barrel enlargement d, wherein the barrelnipples, which form abutments or stops for *the breech bolt locking nipples, are situated. Both the'barrel enlargement (Z and the breech-bolt 7c are provided with straight nipples extending practically parallel to the longitudinal axis of the breech-bolt and barrel. Hence in the weapon as herein described the locking and unlocking operations as the breech closure is being locked or released, as the case may be, take place as follows: During the joint rearward movement of the barrel and breech-bolt under the influence of the recoil only the latter performs a partial revolution, whereby its nipples e. by the time the barrel has reached its rearmost position comeout of contact with the barrel-nipples (l and in line with the corresponding grooves or passages d, situated between the said barrel-nipples. Hence the breech-bolt 7c is only enabled (after the barrel has completed its rearward movement) to begin-to move away from the barrel, in doing which, as a result of the shape of the slot sliding upon the guide-piece i, it performs a rectilinear rearward movement and as it does so,

together with its nipples, passes through'and becomes disengaged from the grooves d.

Thus by the improvement just describedthe arrangement of the nipples constitutes what may be termed a positive as distinguished from a friction breech-lock. In the form of weapon represented in the drawings-- namely, a rifle-there is further provided on the barrel an arresting device, serving to render the locking secure, whereby in automatic firing the barrel is automatically retainedin the position towhich it has been drawn back until the breech bolt has sprung forwardagain into the locking position. This arrest- 1mg device consists of an arresting-lever rs and an abutment-lever m n, the lower arm n of which as the barrel recedes impinges upon this lever itself and the barrel are released. (See Fig. 1.) At the-same'timean 8.0061813'; tion of the'rearward movement of the breechbolt after its release is insured by' t,l1ef ,t

that "as the arm n impinges on the projection orstop-o the leverm n not onlyim'ovesithe' lever -'r 8 into the'l'ocked position, but with its upper arm m strikes the' shoulder of the breech bolt, --the eifect o'f-this stroke being at the same time tofacilitate-the extraction of the empty cartridge-case. In single-loading.

the breech-"bolt is moved back ,by what is known as 'affguiding-rail p, fitted with a knob -"g, which-through the medium of a :screwed pin lengagesin a circular-sloth in the breech bolt'andiwhich normally is retained in the forward position inwbich it is-depicted in Fig. .4ibya:sp ringo, arranged in :a lateral casingu and acting upon a-projection g 'of'the rail through-the medium of a rod '20, andflin order to render the operation of the breechc losure during the locking process more reliable a special coupling device is "proyide'd, the rear-wardend z of which passes up, into the casing uandagainst which the spring '2: exercises apressnre, while its -'for-' ward end is attached to the projection is of the barrel. The object'of this coupling-piece is" automatically to carry thebarrel with it,and thereby to enableit to be locked in its rearmostposition as the breech-bolt comes near Whereas in "autoto'the-renid'of its course. ma't1c loading-,owingto thegreat force ofthe recoil, under which the barrel receives the shock or impact, the said barrel becomes locked'by th'e arresting mechanism '8 m n 0, ust described, without any .difiiculty, it has -beenfound-in "single-loading that the more even efiort of the hand is .not' suflicient to drivethe barrel back into its rearmost position, and thereby to cause it to be locked in that posltlon as the breech-bolt begins its in-' dependent movement. Hence in single-loadmg the barrel immediately after it-h'a's been disengaged from the-breech-bolt generally;

springs forward again without. having .had the opportunity. of becoming locked as a result-of the impact of the lever and n upon thestationary stop 0. It-is this deficiency I which it is the object of the coupling device through the barrel in pies and grooves y to supply, .for, owing to the provision of for unlocking the one from the other and permitting the breech-bolt further independconnecting the two,'means ent movementg-of anaarresti'ng lever moun t'eil *npon the movable "barrel portion, =one end ot said lever arranged to-engagea'fixed portion o'fthe-arm to "secure the barrel vin its rearward iposi tionna secondHover-operated recoil 'for throwing-the first leverinto v I tie and means if'o'rreleasingthe-same.

:2. In a firearm, the acombination,=with a sliding "ibarre'l, "a bre'e'h '-ibolt, interlocking.

the at nipple :and :groov'es. conn'ecting the two, 17%

"mean's' for unlocking 'thevone 'from *t'he ot he =and; permittingithe 'hreeehbolttfnrther pendent movement,zof an arresting leve one end o'f smd lever arranged to :rseonreithe ar :mou nte'd ja'cent to-'*ithe arrestingilevfen one end of the-trip-lever engaging the 'fiilsiilll'g' lever to throw the same into operation, and

the forward m'ovement of 'thebreeoh bol't to 3. In a firearm, the combination, with a *th'e-other-end ito'f the ltniplever engaged by '8 I throw the arresti'ng 'lever out of operation.

sliding barrel, :a breech -bdlt, interlocking nipples and grooves connecting the two,

,means for unlocki'ngzthe one ifrom th'eother and wpermittin'g the' breech-b6l-trifurther. independent. movement, of :an arresting-Eleven mounted iuponfithem'ovahle barrel portion, on'eend of said ilever adapted to engage .a {fixedportion of thearm"andsecure-the-barrel in itsrrearward ,position, "a trip-lever meant ed adjacent to the z-arresting-lever,one end of the trip-lever engaging the arrestin gle'ver to throw the {same kin-to operation -and the otherend 0f the trip ever engaged 'by the i'rorward movement :d'f the 'ibreechihdlt -ito throw the iarresting lever out '0? "operation.

4. In :a ifirearm, the 1eombin'ation, with a pies and grooves connecting the two, means for unlockingtheonefiEromtheotherand per- Knitting thefbreech bolt iiurther independent movement, of an arresting-"lever mounted upon the movable barrel portion, one end of said lever adapted to engage afi-xed portion slidingbarrel;abreech bolt,iinterlocking'nip-'- I of the armand secure the barrel in its 'rearward position,a trip-leverrmounted upon said movable barrel portion ...adjacent "to the arresting-lever, a nose carried 'by'afixed =portion of the arm to c'ontact with the trip-lever and force-one arm of said lever into operative engagement with ithe arresting lever,:and the other-arm of the trip-lever engaged by the breech-bolt'inits :forward movement to release he arresting-lever.

5. sliding barrel,*sa breech-lbolt, interlocking Snipples andgrooves'rconnecting the barrel and breech-bolt, means {for disconnectingthe two and permitting the ibreechab'olt further independent movement, means for retracting the n a firearm, the combination, with a breech-bolt, a. projection accompanying "the boltin its independent moveme'n't, -.a coupling device attached atone end to the l'b'arrel and at the other end provided with "a projection,

soo,1os

l and a spring acting upon the two projections,

whereby, throughout the independentmovement of the breech-bolt tension will be exerted .upon the barreL' I a 6. In a firearm, the combination, with a sliding barreL-a breech-bolt, interlocking nipples and grooves, means for disconnecting the barrel and breech-bolt, a guide-rail connected, with the breech-bolt, an operating-knob carried' by said guide-rail, a projection carried by the rail, a spring inclosed in 'a casing act- .ing upon said projection, a pro ectiOn carried by the barrel, 9. coupling device attached at its forward end to the projection on the barrel, and an extension on the rear end of said coupling deviceentering the said casing and engaging the spring, whereby whenthe breech-bolt is manually retracted the barrel is automatically carried to its rearmost posi- 20 i I tion.

barrel mountedfor sliding longitudinal move ment only, a breech-bolt, interlocking nipples and interposed longitudinal grooves connect- 7. In a firearm, the combination, with athe trip-lever to engage the arresting-lever to throw the same into operation, and the other end of the trip-lever engaged by the forward movement of the breech-bolt to throw the arresting-lever out of operation.

-, In witness whereof I have'set myhand in the presence of two witnesses.

' LOUIS HELLFRITZSCH.

Witnessesz.

WQLDEMAR -HAUPT, HENRY HASPER- 

